2011 in Review - Warriors

The Warriors have always been a punter's nightmare and 2011
was no different.

After kicking off their season with three consecutive
losses, a grand final berth certainly did not appear on the horizon, but
some clever positional changes from Ivan Cleary saw his side do what
they do and pull of a string of upsets to storm up the competition
ladder. The Warriors began their rampage with a win against minor
premiers the Melbourne Storm - the first of six consecutive victories.

The second half of the season saw the Warriors producing some mixed
results. Beginning with four consecutive losses from rounds 13 to 16,
before a bye in round 17 helped the team get back on track as they
climbing up the ladder on the back of four wins in a row. The Warriors
took out three of their final five matches of the regular season to
finish sixth.

Going into the finals the Warriors were far from convincing and after
going down 40-10 to the Broncos in week one of the play offs the
Warriors looked to be heading for an early exit. However the Warriors
proved why they can never be written off the following week as they
defeating the Tigers 22-20 in a nail biter, with Krisnan Inu scoring the
match winning try in the final five minutes of the match. The Warriors
were a lot more convincing in their grand final qualifying match as they
kept the Melbourne Storm scoreless in the second half to take out the
match 20-12.

In their final match for 2011 the Warriors managed to dig deep,
producing a mammoth effort to stay in the match until the dying minutes
of the game.

The Good

With so many young players who will no doubt be wiser after a grand
final appearance a good foundation has been set for the future of the
team. As a side the Warriors improved dramatically throughout the season
as the team began to work better together and young players came of
age.

The Warriors made the grand final in all three grades in 2011 and there
is no doubt they have the depth which they had been lacking in past
seasons.

The Bad

While the Warriors showed dramatic improvements throughout 2011 they
produced more than the odd poor performance. A lack of discipline from
their centres and wingers and poor service from dummy half stifled the
side's performances and kept them from a more consistent season.

Best Player

Young fullback Kevin Locke came of age in 2011, the young fullback
proved to have some of the safest hands in the competition no matter how
high the pressure. Locke's darts from dummy half and consistently
strong kick returns kept the pressure on opposition playmakers.

Rookies

Rookie halfback Shaun Johnson quickly became a star for the Warriors,
combining with five-eighth James Maloney to produce one of the most
effective half parings in the competition. The kiwi-halfback's kicking
and passing games constantly had the opposition on their heels and the
Warriors over the try line.

Bustling back rower Elijah Taylor was continuously called on by Coach
Ivan Cleary to fill in for an injured team mate and the rookie Kiwi was
always up to the task. Slotting into the centres or the back row,
Taylor's consistent performances, utility value and heavy workload saw
him earn a Test Jumper in 2011.

2012 Squad

The Warriors have managed to keep most of their key players for 2012 but
with a new coach taking the reins predicting how the Warriors will fare
in 2012 is still a foolish pursuit.